New StarCraft Game Pitches from Korean Developers to Blizzard: Report

Exciting news is stirring the hearts of StarCraft enthusiasts as Blizzard reportedly receives multiple pitches from prominent Korean studios to expand the beloved sci-fi universe. According to a report highlighted by @KoreaXboxnews on X / Twitter, Asia Today revealed that four Korean companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying to develop new StarCraft games and secure publishing rights. Some of these companies have even traveled to Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their innovative ideas.

NCSoft, renowned for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is said to be exploring the potential of a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, creators of The First Descendant, are proposing a "unique" take on the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, behind titles like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is aiming to bring StarCraft to mobile platforms. Meanwhile, Krafton, the powerhouse behind PUBG and the upcoming The Sims competitor inZOI, is interested in leveraging its own development capabilities to craft a new StarCraft experience.

While pitches are common in the gaming industry, the involvement of these major studios suggests Blizzard's keen interest in revitalizing the StarCraft franchise. It has been a while since the last StarCraft game, and fans are eagerly watching to see if these proposals lead to new adventures in the StarCraft universe. Activision Blizzard declined to comment on the matter when approached by IGN.

Adding to the buzz, Blizzard is reportedly making another attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter. Led by Dan Hay, a former Far Cry executive producer who joined Blizzard in 2022, this marks the company's third effort in this genre. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier mentioned this project during an interview on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, discussing his book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Despite Blizzard's rocky history with StarCraft shooters, Schreier affirmed that the project is in development, emphasizing that StarCraft is far from dead at Blizzard.

Blizzard's previous attempts at expanding StarCraft beyond real-time strategy include the canceled StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, and the codenamed Ares project, canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, in November, Blizzard posted job openings for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," with many signs indicating it's a StarCraft FPS.

The momentum for StarCraft is clearly building. Blizzard has recently released StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass and announced a StarCraft crossover with the popular Warcraft card game Hearthstone. As these developments unfold, fans of the iconic franchise have much to look forward to.